Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Still at the hospital

Praise the Lord Tuesday was a good day!

We expected to be going home from the hospital today but it looks as if we may be staying another night. On Monday night Danny was given several medications before bed and he was able to sleep through the night. Tuesday morning he was feeling pretty good. He was able to eat some vegetable broth. He said it was the best broth he had ever eaten... I think it was because he has not had any food for several days. He sampled other foods throughout the day like a cracker, some Gatorade, some juice, pudding, and even some mashed potatoes. Not much of any one thing but a spoonful is more than he had been able to eat before. His color was good he felt pretty good. We had right many visitors and he was talking and upbeat.

Unfortunately, this morning at 6:00 he lost everything he had eaten yesterday and was feeling horrible. The doctor ordered his chemo treatment to be done in the hospital and we would reassess things later in the day. We could still come home but I am not sure. He has actually eaten some food today but I think he is pushing himself so he can come home. He has lost 15 pounds in the last week. They expect and hope he will gain some back as his appetite increases.

Danny is taking 4 different medications for nausea and hiccups. This seems to be working pretty good. They also gave him a shot in his stomach today for blood clot prevention. He was a bit grumpy about this one but finally gave in and allowed the nurse to go ahead. He is definitely getting tired of feeling bad, getting tons of medications, & being in the hospital.

Good News!!!!! Danny is expected to only have 4 cycles of chemo. His cycle includes 3 weeks (week one 5 days, weeks two & three one day). We are 1/2 through the first cycle!

More Good News!!!! Danny is special :) He is a part of the 2% of men who's testicular cancer starts outside of the testicles. This would explain why he has no symptoms and was unaware until the pain in his chest. This is why they suspected Lymphoma to begin with. The only places they have found the cancer is in his chest, abdomen, & some lymph nodes near the neck. All of these areas allow the cancer to respond very well to the chemo... whoohoo! There was a misunderstanding on our part somehow. There are some calcifications and an enlarged nodule but at this point they are going to watch for changes. They will test him every 3 months for a while but the urologist (William Russell) is not too concerned. He also reminded us "this is a good cancer to have". Both he and Dr. Anagnost are excited & have talked very positive because they expect Danny to be cured.

Even More Good News!!!! Danny's chest is not hurting nearly as bad. He really has not taken any pain medicine in a few days. He can tell the mass has began to shrink already because he has a little trouble feeling where it is. Before you could see it through his shirt.

We know that the hospital stay has been inconvenient and not much fun but it was necessary. The nurses have been wonderful. We are on the newly renovated floor so the sleeping accommodations for care takers are not too bad either.

I want to thank my sister & brother in law for taking such good care of our children and making this time as normal as possible for them. Thanks to a wonderful mother in law too... I know she loves her son & wants to care for him but I am one of the lucky daughter in laws that knows she loves me and wants to care for me too. The love & support of our family has been priceless!

The Lord has truly blessed us with good news! We are on our way to beating this cancer... we know we will be stronger in the end. Thanks everyone for your words of encouragement and for taking the time to pray for us. It is a huge comfort knowing that people all over the world are petitioning the Lord on our behalf. We are very fortunate to have so many good friends!

When you are praying will you please remember Mrs. Buchanan. She is recovering from surgery they had to remove her kidney as she found out she had kidney cancer. She is a sweet lady who loves the Lord and is also trusting Him for healing. Mr. Buchanan (her late husband) married Danny & I 18 years ago. I understand she is doing well but I am sure would covet your prayers.

It is always great to see answered prayers! I am so glad that this is what they consider a highly curable type. When you get to the other side of this storm you will have quite a testimony, not that you don't already have one. I am not surprised that Sandra is taking good care of you both. She is one special person, and I would expect nothing less from her. We are all blessed by having her in our lives.